FEAR
by deceptive-serenade
Summary: I found my girlfriend not acting like herself and pretty much scaring the pants off me. What else is there to do but run away to the Slytherin Common Room? Unfortunately, that's where I accidentally sat on Rose Weasley. Whoops. Rose/Scorpius
1. Fear of Living

**FEAR**

Usually, I'm up for the celebrations. What's not to love? We get candy, and lots of it. There are pumpkins. There are some _epic_ decorations. We went all-out this year in arranging Halloween at Hogwarts, only to find my girlfriend in the most revealing costume I've ever seen, not acting like herself and pretty much scaring the pants off me (except not literally). What else is there to do but run away to the Slytherin Common room?

Unfortunately, that's where I sat on Rose Weasley.

Whoops.

_-Fear of Living-_

I don't think I'd ever been so scared in my life.

Merlin, I sound like a pansy. I swear I'm not. I'm Scorpius-bloody-_Malfoy,_ and I promise that I am much more masculine than my father ever was.

Just because it was Halloween, it didn't mean it was frightening. Hogwarts didn't usually do much for the holiday besides decorate the Great Hall and serve a shitload of sweets at night. We got to go to Hogsmeade during the day. We didn't really dress up in costumes, and trick-or-treating wasn't exactly an option in a castle.

But that year, I just thought… we were in a _castle._

I was Head Boy. I could make these things happen.

So I talked it over with Headmaster (pushover) Slughorn, came up a plan with the Veronica Smith, the Head Girl (who also happens to be my girlfriend) and put it into motion. The Halloween dinner was a tradition, but we scheduled a dance afterwards.

That was Veronica's idea. My idea was badass.

I came up with a Haunted House.

I got the Charms and Transfiguration teachers pumped up to actually create it… except it wasn't exactly a _house_. It was more like a sectioned off part of the castle set up in mysterious ways by my sadistic teachers. I didn't attempt to aid them in the mapping out of the "House." I wanted to enjoy it, too. That feeling of pissing my pants off was hard to come by, usually.

So I suppose I wasn't really scared at that moment I was talking about earlier. I didn't feel like my bladder was about to explode, or like there was a shiver going down my spine. It was more like a sick, nauseating feeling when I watched my girlfriend grind against some random bloke at that dance. And _that_ scared me.

Naturally, I ran out of the room faster than Severus Snape being confronted with shampoo.

The dance was held in the dungeons for the creepy, Halloween effect, so it was technically a short walk back to the Slytherin Common Room – but it didn't feel short. Not in the slightest. The image just kept flashing in my mind: my girlfriend in the midst of the crowd, wearing Merlin-knows-what, pressed up against another boy's sweaty body, one that wasn't mine, hands all over each other.

There goes my stomach.

(It likes to make uncomfortable bowel movements.)

My footsteps clanged in time with the thumping music, fading as I walked further away but it barely registered in my mind. My girlfriend hadn't cheated on me. I knew that. But how was it right for her to be like that with someone who wasn't her boyfriend?

And here's the thing: she wasn't some skanky bitch who happened to make top grades. I knew how she treated other people, too. Veronica wasn't nice to me and awful to my friends. She was genuinely a good person. She always helped people. She was practically a genius – well, figures. She was in Ravenclaw.

We were perfect together. Head Boy and Girl. Intellectually matched. Slytherin and Ravenclaw – so none of this pride shit. Hell, we even _looked _good together with our matching blonde hair. We made each other laugh and she was a good kisser. We were both pureblood. Like I said: we were perfect together.

On paper.

And that's what I was feeling as I walked back to the Halloween. A little sickness (did she actually just do something like that?). Lots of confusion (_why_ did she do that?). Kind of annoyed (I mean, she didn't really cheat. Not really.). But most of all, I was scared that what I _wasn't_ feeling was jealousy.

No sir. I wasn't even the least bit upset that some guy was groping my girlfriend.

That's upsetting.

"Fork-tongue," I said absent-mindedly as I reached the wall that was hiding the Slytherin Common Room. I thought Slytherins were cunning. What an unoriginal password.

Then again, my father once said it was 'pure blood.'

He taught me all those values. They were carved in the pumpkin that was my mind. Okay, so maybe my mind wasn't exactly a _pumpkin_, but the rules were so set in my mind that it might as well have been some sort of orange squash.

Respect women. Respect your elders. Always look presentable. Formality. Some people considered them to be limiting boundaries, but they made enough sense to me. I think that's why seeing my girlfriend like that. It was unsettling to have figured out that her values didn't match mine.

I turned the corner and the couches came into view. Ah, those sofas. They were my only comfort, now. They were black and leather but squishy and absolutely perfect. They never let me down. Unlike _some _people.

Closing my eyes, I heaved a sigh and collapsed onto the nearest loveseat.

But instead of my butt meeting the perfect amount of squishy comfort in the couch, I was met with something hard. Actually, bony. I quickly scrambled away.

I had accidentally sat on a person.

Well, that just made my night.

"Bloody hell - I'm so sorry." I had begun apologizing before I even saw who I was sitting on, and when I turned around, the words died at my lips. I sat on Rose Weasley - and who could blame me? She was _tiny._ The only way anyone would notice her was by her hair, which could easily be mistaken for being on fire.

We were supposed to be rivals or something. I think. I had never really spoken to her in my life, despite the fact that she was in my House (how weird is that? A Weasley in Slytherin?). She was super quiet and always read books in the corner. I didn't know why; personally, I don't see the point in wasting time reading when we already spend all day in classes.

Not to say that she didn't read in classes, either. She did. Even after knowing her for seven years and being in the same classes, the only word I could describe her as was _weird._ She was a strange person. She never talked unless she was answering questions in class.

Did she have friends?

"It's okay," she answered softly, smoothing out the pages of her book from where it crumpled.

"But I _sat_ on you!"

"Happens all the time."

"Bloody hell," I blurted out. To my surprise, Rose smiled. "What?"

"My dad says that all the time."

"Bloody hell," I repeated yet again, flopping backwards until my back hit the couch. I stretched my limbs wearily, glad I hadn't bothered wearing a costume and thrown on muggle clothes. Wouldn't have been much use, seeing how things turned out. "Doesn't he hate my father or something?"

"I dunno."

I yawned. "Why are you in pajamas? It's only seven-thirty."

"Felt like it."

"Are you going down to the celebrations?"

"Nope."

Perhaps this was why she didn't talk to people. Couldn't carry on a conversation.

"So," I said casually, stretching my arms underneath my head, "do you hate the world or something?"

Her face revealed only a moment of shock before she straightened in her seat, passive as ever. I don't think she thought I would ever say anything like that to someone I barely knew. "No," she replied smoothly, not bothering to even spare me a glance. "Do you enjoy hearing the sound of your own voice?"

I'm in love.

No, I'm not joking. Or lying. I'm in _love._

I stared at her in awe. I always thought she was pretty, don't get me wrong, but holy crap. It's like those words omitted some sort of beam of light around her. I didn't know a tiny thing like her with flaming red hair could be so attractive.

She sighed and put down her book to look at me for the first time. Her eyes are brown. Holy shit. "Malfoy, what do you want?"

I shrugged and lazily stretched out my arms again, one going behind her back. She raised an eyebrow at me, my action clearly not going unnoticed. "So, why aren't you celebrating?"

She shifted away from me. "I hate Halloween."

"_What_?" I inched closer. "Why?"

Her hip hit the armrest in efforts to move away. "It's stupid."

"It's a holiday about _candy_," I emphasized, trying not to grin as I cornered her on the couch.

"Exactly!" she protested, moving up so she was sitting on the armrest. Her book dropped to the floor. "That's all anyone thinks! Halloween isn't just about candy. It's a day to honour the dead."

I fully took her vacated seat on the couch, her scent still lingering there. Merlin, she smelled like... pumpkins. And spice. I gripped her shins, and she flinched. "You _really _want to spend Halloween honouring the dead instead of having fun at a dance?"

Her eyes were growing steadily wider as she realized she had nowhere else to go. "Yes."

"Then let's go to the Haunted House."

She swallowed, gently moving my hands from her legs and sliding off the sofa. "No. Malfoy, what the hell are you doing?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I asked cheerfully, moving off the sofa. She stepped backwards. I stepped forwards. Again and again and again.

"It looks like you're trying to corner me."

"That would be correct."

"What are you, a serial killer?"

I grinned cheekily. "Something like that."

Rose's back hit the wall. I towered over her. She wasn't _short_, per se - she was only a few inches shorter than me - but she was so small that it felt that way. "Will you _move_? This is just getting stupid."

"I think I might be in love with you," I said casually, placing my hands around her waist. She wiggled around. Quite stupidly, I might add. It wasn't as if wiggling was going to get her out of this – if anything, it was going to keep her there. While I snogged the living daylights out of her.

When she was done wiggling, she groaned. Loudly. That wasn't helping her case, either. "Malfoy, you're not in love with me. Did you swallow a love potion or something?"

I laughed. "I haven't had anything to eat or drink since dinner. I don't think so."

"What about your girlfriend?" My smile faltered.

I did _not_ want to think about her.

Rose picked up on it right away. Maybe it was because I let go of her. "Malfoy, did something happen?"

"Erm, yeah." I scratched at my head. "I think we're over."

"Why?"

"I guess… can I trust you, Weasley?" Honestly speaking, I didn't even care if I could trust her. I just wanted to tell someone.

I mean, you know when people just start expecting things from you? When I became Prefect, I was expected to become Head Boy. Then when Veronica was made Head Girl, I was expected to meet up with her. Then date her. Thank Merlin I was awful at Quidditch, or I would've pressured to become Captain.

I told Rose everything. How weird it was to find my girlfriend grinding her arse into someone else (and for the record, Rose agreed. It _was_ weird). How I didn't feel jealous at all. How we were kept together due to pressure.

By this time, we were sprawled out in front of the fireplace. She'd barely said anything throughout the entire story, but she was listening, absorbing everything I said like a sponge. It was refreshing.

When I finally stopped, she sighed and set her chin down on her knees, which were pressed against her chest. "You really can talk, Malfoy."

I grinned. "The sound of my own voice is beautiful."

"Sure."

"You're an amazing listener," I told her. My admiration for this girl was never-ending.

"Thank you," she said softly. She stared into the fire, which reflected in her eyes. "Sometimes I think that's all I'll ever be. My ex-boyfriend liked me because I was quiet. And broke up with me because I barely said anything."

"He might have a point. That's the most you said in the past hour."

She grinned and shook her head. "Maybe he just wasn't the right person. Like Veronica."

"Maybe. I always felt too formal around her. Like I had to watch everything I said."

"Jeez, Malfoy, you're practically a girl."

"I am _not_," I said crossly for about the millionth time. "You don't know what it's like! Every day, she would ask me if she looked pretty. Or if she looked fat in something. What do you say to that? And she would pick off my plate _all_ the time. I mean, why not just get your own damn food?"

She laughed. I really liked her laugh. It was light and soft, sort of like the rest of her. She looked very hug-able. Or squishy. "Are you sure you're meant to be with a girl? You don't swing the other way, by any chance?"

I leaned forward to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. "Nope."

"And now you're just magically in love with me."

"Definitely."

She rolled her eyes. "You're stupider than I thought."

"You're prettier than I noticed," I blurted out. Word vomit. Brilliant, _that_ had started. It happened every time I was attracted to someone.

To my surprise, Rose blushed. "Thank you."

I hadn't expected that. I thought she'd make a sarcastic remark or snide, witty comeback. Maybe she was insecure, too – but I didn't see why. She had a ginormous family. She was the Seeker on the Slytherin team. Everyone said she inherited her mother's brains.

Bloody hell, were all girls insecure?

"So what are you going to do now?" she asked, interrupting my thoughts. "About Veronica."

"Oh." I shrugged. "Avoid her as long as possible."

"Why?"

"Hate confrontation," I said, shuddering. "Takes effort. And time. Both that should be directed to more purposeful activities."

"Such as?"

"I dunno." I smirked. "Snogging you?"

She buried her face in her knees, probably blushing again. "You know, I thought you were a depressed and brooding lunatic who made good grades."

"I seem that way."

"I never knew that you're actually a giddy, horny lunatic."

"Hey, now that's just harsh," I protested, laughing along with her. "You've never even talked to me before. You've no right to judge."

She ignored me. "And you didn't judge me?"

"No. Except that you're quiet. _Which,_" I added triumphantly, "I was right about."

"Goody. Want a prize?"

"If it's a kiss from you, of course."

"Oh, bugger off," she said, shaking her head and smiling at me. Merlin, her smile is amazing. "What possessed you to sit and talk to me for an hour? Furthermore, how did you hit your head and decide you're in love with me?"

"I told you why I'm here and not out there." I jerked my thumb towards the exit. "You're nice on the eyes. You smell better than a Rose, Rose."

"Uh huh."

"I like talking to you."

"That's what everyone says. Then they complain about how I'm non-responsive."

"You know what?" I said loudly, straightening up and looking her straight in the eye. "I've talked to you for an hour, and I don't understand where anyone gets that from."

She looked away. "I guess I don't do well in crowds. Like in my family."

A silence filled between us, but it wasn't awkward. If anything, it was kind of sad. Like I could _feel_ how sad she was. I guess she really didn't fit in with her family except for her hair and name. Personally, I didn't know why she'd _want_ to – bunch of obnoxious Gryffindors – but I could understand that she felt alone. No one from Slytherin really befriended her, as far as I noticed.

Maybe I could change that. I'd be her friend. Then she'd fall in love with me.

Problem solved.

"Hey," I said quietly, and she glanced back to me. "Let's forget them all. Let's do something. Celebrate our new relationship."

She seemed amused. "Not a date, surely? You have to break up with your girlfriend first."

"Oh." Yeah… even if it wouldn't _feel_ like cheating… "Fine. It's not a date."

"Good."

"Let's go to the Haunted House," I started again, and she sighed. "No, wait! I talked it over with the teachers. It's supposed to be awesome."

"Wasn't this house your idea?"

"Even more reason for it to be awesome."

Rose sighed again, biting on her lip. I wanted to kiss it so badly. "I don't know. I just…"

"Just… what?" I asked.

"Nothing."

I smirked. "Scared, Weasley?" Her eyes immediately snapped to my gaze. The tips of her ears burned red.

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

"Then why don't you want to go?"

"It's late," she declared. I rolled my eyes; it was only nine o'clock. Seeing my expression, she switched excuses. "Okay, I have a lot of homework to do."

"Weasley, it's Friday!" I couldn't stop from cackling evilly. "Admit it, you're scared!"

"I'm not!"

"Prove it," I challenged. She was angry, now. Rose wasn't a Weasley without the temper – or without the drive of competition. I didn't know why she didn't want to go, but I'd practically forced her to.

Anything to take down a Malfoy.


	2. Fear of Dying

_-Fear of Dying-_

The castle seemed to only become darker as we neared the Haunted House. It was located in the far side of the castle, near the Astronomy towers. The entrance was on the second floor, just off of Myrtle's bathroom.

A sullen-looking woman was standing outside the giant door to greet us. "No costumes, no entry," deadpanned Professor Sinistra, raising eyebrows at our clothing.

I glanced down at my uniform. I'd only bothered to take off my robes. "I'm a schoolboy!"

She rolled her eyes and settled her gaze on Rose. "You?"

I nearly snorted. Rose was still in her pajamas and t-shirt, not to mention fuzzy slippers that looked vaguely like puppies. "I'm a sleepy girl," she answered, faking a yawn and glaring at me.

I shrugged. She could've admitted defeat and stayed in the Common Room. Not my fault.

Sinistra sighed and moved to let us by, muttering about students that thought we they were so above celebrations. I frowned. It wasn't that we thought we were _above_ Halloween, it was just that I was kind of at a loss at what to wear. Rose, of course, hadn't planned on celebrating at all.

Almost immediately after we'd made our way through the wooden doors, Sinistra had slammed it shut behind us. The sound echoed loudly in the hallway - after all, that's all it was. A long, narrow, dark hallway lit with a few torches along the way. At the end of the hallway was another door.

"So, Weasley," I said loudly, putting an arm around her. She jerked it off. "Scared, yet?"

"No." Her voice was forced, neutral, but I could sense she wasn't happy with the current situation. "It's just a hallway, Malfoy. What's to be scared of?"

"I dunno." I kept my eyes on hers, which were brown. The little light flickered in them. "Do you get scared easily?"

"No."

"Wanna make a bet?"

"No."

We'd reached the end of the hallway. I opened the door, holding it so Rose could enter. "After you," I said, grinning. She rolled her eyes at me and stepped inside.

I felt as though we'd entered the Forbidden Forest. The Forest, even in the day, was dark underneath thickets and thickets of trees. But unlike the forest, there seemed to be tall hedges everywhere - taller than Rose (not difficult), taller than me. The ceiling seemed to be enchanted to look like the sky.

And it was quiet. Too quiet.

I could barely see a thing, except for Rose beside me, and even she was only an outline. I couldn't make out her expression.

"Scared, yet?" I asked, nudging her. She shook her head.

"Looks like a maze," she said in her quiet voice. I looked around to see that she was quite right; though the hedges and trees and bushes looked random, they were definitely mazes. The spaces in between weren't enough to peek through and possibly cheat.

We began to walk, our footsteps hitting the dirt and echoing in our ears. It was beginning to get a little creepy; I still couldn't see much, and the ground was uneven. The path was straight, but as all mazes, we eventually hit a fork in the path.

"We could go left or right," I said, glancing around. I felt the hairs at the back of my neck stand up as I spotted eyes - but when I looked again, they weren't there. "Want to split up?"

"_No!_ I mean," she corrected quickly after I raised an eyebrow, "we should stick together. Otherwise we won't know if the other's found the end of this maze."

I muffled a snort and headed off to the right, shaking my head. Rose quickly tip toed after me. She was definitely scared. Out of her mind. And it was amusing.

"What was that?" she asked suddenly, stopping in her tracks. I looked back.

"What was what?"

"There were footsteps," she insisted, nervously looking over her shoulder.

"You mean," I said, my grin breaking out on my face, "_our_ footsteps?"

"No, it's - _eep_!" Her eyes widened to something on the right and she ducked behind me. I turned to see what it was.

"Oh Merlin - you're scared of spiders?" I said exasperatedly, watching said arachnids crawl up the trunk of a tree. "You're kidding me, right?"

"No," she whispered from behind me. She smelled like pumpkin and spice and she was much to close to me. I resisted the urge to turn around. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up for an entirely different reason.

_Why do I have a girlfriend, again?_

I shoved my hands in my pockets and strode off. "This Haunted House is so bloody lame - argh!" In my haste to not cheat and get away from Rose, I'd let down my guard, turned the corner and ran into a skeleton. My back hit the ground as the skeleton waved at me creepily, its bones in the fingers creaking before it buried itself back in a bush.

"What? What is it?" Rose demanded, appearing from the corner. Her eyes widened when she saw me sprawled out on the ground. "What happened?"

"I - what - there was a skeleton!" I burst out, pointing to the bush on my left. "I swear!"

Rose bit her lip, a nervous smile flitting across her face. "Really? Was Malfoy scared of a little fake skeleton?"

"Oh, shut it," I snapped, leaping to my feet. "You're scared of spiders."

"That are _real._"

I bit back a retort. "Let's just keep going."

We made our way through the maze mostly unscathed, besides the odd spider and skeleton. We'd hit a couple of dead ends, but the maze was pretty straightforward. We were facing the giant door in no time.

"Brilliant," I muttered, shoving the door open for Rose. I was pissed off by the small attempts to scare us; what kind of Haunted House was this? "We're back in this hallway. That was the stupidest thing I've ever been to."

"You were scared."

"Cheap thrills."

"Still, you were scared."

"Was not."

"Was too."

"Was not."

"Was too."

"Was _not_."

"Was _too – _hang on."

Rose had screeched to a halt. There was a ghost emerging from the wall on the left, minding its own business. It was pearly-white and translucent – relatively harmless - but I knew that if you walked into one of those, it'd feel like you were being doused with an icy-cold bucket of water. I shuddered, thinking of the sensation.

And there was Rose, ducking behind me.

"What the – what are you doing?" I asked, trying not to shudder again. She was gripping my back and peeking over my shoulder.

"Is it gone?"

"Is _what_ gone?"

"The ghost!" she whispered in my ear. I did my best to resist the shiver that went down my spine. She gripped harder on my shoulders to peek. "Is it gone?"

"_It_?" I couldn't believe her. "That's Nearly Headless Nick! He's the nicest ghost at Hogwarts!" She whimpered and gripped tighter onto my shoulder as I waved to him. "Hey, Nick!"

"Hello, Scorpius!" he greeted merrily before disappearing into the right wall. She didn't stop shaking once he disappeared. I turned around as she slumped against the wall, holding her head in her knees. I kneeled beside her.

"Are you okay?"

"No," she whimpered, glancing back where the ghost had vanished. "I want to get out of here. Please."

"Whoa, wait," I protested indignantly. "That's the point of a Haunted House. It's a thrill. Pee your pants. Get freaked out a little. You can't just give up." I rolled up my sleeves and pushed her chin up with a finger. She really did look scared. "Come on, Rose."

Her eyes widened at the mention of her first name, but still she shook her head. "No."

"How're you going to get out if you won't move?"

"They'll find me here tomorrow."

"And you're going to be okay with being here alone when any ghost could come along?"

Her adorable brown eyes widened even farther and she grabbed the front of my shirt. "Stay with me. Please." I struggled and tried to pry her hand off me. Didn't work. She had a surprisingly strong grip; she pulled, and suddenly I was staring into her eyes.

"_Please,_ Scorpius." I stopped.

Dammit. Dammit all to hell.

Her grip loosened as I gave in, shoving her a little so I could sit back against the wall. She sighed in relief. "Are you really that scared of ghosts?" I asked, not willing to talk about what had just happened.

She nodded. "Have been since I was little."

"Oh." I played with my rolled up sleeves, adjusting them. "Thought you were joking."

"Did I _look_ like I was joking?"

"Never trust a Slytherin."

"You're a Slytherin."

"I'm an exception."

"What makes you say that?"

"I'm exceptional." She let out a soft giggle and stopped shaking. Finally.

Until her eye caught something. "Scorpius, why is your watch not working?"

I ignored the jolt that was sent to my heart. "What are you talking about? I just got it when I turned seventeen…" I held my wrist up to catch light on one of the torches. She was right, it wasn't working – but it was doing something strange. The numbers kept flipping and flipping. The colon had disappeared.

"What the hell…" I tapped it. It began to slow, and the numbers split apart vertically. Three shapes formed at the top, three at the bottom. They weren't even numbers anymore.

GET

OUT

"Rose," I said quickly, tapping a shaking hand to her arm and squeezing it. "Look at this."

She wrenched my hand off of hers. "Shit," she said in a low voice. "Shit, Scorpius, we have to get out!"

"I think I got that part, thanks –" But before I could continue with my snide remark, she grabbed my hand in hers, leapt up with me and began to run.

I don't know how long we were running, but it didn't seem as if the door was getting any closer. I could see the fear in Rose's eyes as we ran, faster and faster, hand in hand, sweatier and sweatier and we came no closer and no further to the end.

"This – isn't – working," she got out between pants.

"You _think_?"

"What do you reckon we –" Rose didn't finish her sentence, because another ghost appeared on the right side of us.

She screamed.

"Rose, stop!" I shouted over her as she hid behind me. I turned so that I was looking at her, not the ghost. She was shaking again. I grasped her shoulders. "Stop, it won't hurt you! I promise!"

"It's getting closer," she whimpered, squeezing her eyes shut then open – as if she were hoping it would disappear. My head was spinning. Her voice became louder. "Merlin, make it stop, please make it stop!"

"Rose, stop screaming and calm down!" But before I could stop her, she'd backed herself against the left wall, and somehow fell through.

And seeing as how I was sort of attached to her, I might've come with.

She stopped screaming when she lost her balance and fell backwards onto a hard wooden floor. I fell on top of her. Everything was suddenly quiet – probably because Rose had stopped screaming – and I was staring into her eyes, still breathing hard. And then I was staring at her lips. Then her eyes again, just in case she noticed. Oh, what the hell, then her lips.

"Scorpius?"

"Rose," I breathed, not really wanting to get off her, not really thinking. That voice at the back of my mind that was usually nagging me was still going strong, but I couldn't make sense of it. She smelled too freaking good for anything to make sense.

"Please get off of me," she whispered.

I groaned. "Do I have to?"

"Yes."

"I'm protecting you from the ghost." At the mention of it, she closed her pretty eyes and breathed deeply. I could tell she was trying to forget the entire experience.

"Please don't tell anyone I'm afraid of ghosts," she pleaded.

"After hearing you scream, I don't think that's going to happen." I paused, smiling. "I've never heard you so loud before."

"Please stop teasing me," she requested quietly, grimacing as though she were in pain.

"Hey – _wait_," I told her, gently wiping a tear that had inched its way out beneath her eyelid. She opened her eyes at my touch. "Don't be embarrassed. I don't care if you're scared of ghosts. Or spiders. Or skeletons."

"But everyone else does," she whispered back.

"And why does that matter?"

She closed her eyes again. "It does."

"Are you scared of your family, too?" More tears leaked out. "Maybe how they'll react? I'm sure they'll still love you, Rose. They love you because you're _you, _not because of everything you're not scared of –"

"I'm scared of Halloween," she confessed, sniffing softly and opening her eyes. "I'm scared of ghosts, spiders, skeletons, corpses, devils, monsters, vampires, black cats, the dark, angry pumpkins…" I wiped her cheek again. "Merlin, it's just pathetic. No wonder I'm in Slytherin. I'm not brave enough of to get through a bloody Haunted House."

I smiled, surprising her. "I was scared back there, too."

"Really?" she asked in a small voice.

"Yeah. That watch message was scary as shit, and the door never came closer, and I didn't know how we were going to get out…" I suddenly became very interested in her eyebrows. "I hope you never scream like that again."

She sighed. Her breath smelled like chocolate. "I really wish you didn't have a girlfriend right now."

"Yeah, me too." My eyes had discovered her mouth again, and weren't straying from it. Problem. "Wish I was brave enough to break up with her months ago."

"Since I sort of have a problem of being attracted to someone who's taken."

"And I might be taken while lying on top of someone else who I'm actually attracted to."

_Dammit._

The world hated me.

We stayed there, reveling the moment while we could have been snogging. I wanted to. So badly. But I couldn't just betray Veronica like that, no matter how much I wanted to, even if she might have been drunk enough to betray _me_… it wasn't right. That nagging voice at the back of my mind was still there, going strong.

Rose sighed again and put her hand against my chest, pushing me away. She wiped her cheeks with the back of her hands. "Where are we?"

I stood up and for the first time, looked around. It seemed to be a common room – an old one. One without house colours or decorations or portraits. It was basically a dusty room with a crackling fire in the fireplace and surrounding purple couches.

"Is this still part of the House?" Rose asked as she got up. I took her hand before she could get any further.

"I'm not sure…" I glanced to the far left, at the exit. "The door handle isn't on the door."

"Typical." She dragged me in the opposite direction, towards the staircases. "Maybe there's another door around here, somewhere." But when we got upstairs to the dormitory, it was a circular room with four-poster beds. Just like any dorm.

"Maybe the windows?" I suggested. She nodded and tried to look for an opening, but there was none. Just clear glass from top to bottom. She stepped back, observing it; She was disappointed. "Then how do we get out?"

"I don't…" The hairs at the back of my neck were standing up again. Something had tapped my shoulder. "Rose, please tell me you can be behind me and in front of me at the same time."

"Wha…" We'd turned around together to see a corpse – but not just any corpse. It had a decaying body, flesh peeling off and green and moldy, but also a skeleton revealed like an x-ray. It was holding what looked to be a broken Beater's bat; instead of the end being smooth, it was sharp and splintery.

This time, we both screamed.


	3. Fear of Breaking Up

_-Fear of Breaking Up With Someone, Even if you Really Really Want to-_

Rose had whipped around me and grabbed my hand before I could blink, pulling me out of the dormitory and skidding down the stairs. Once we were in the middle of the room, we'd begun to panic; where else was there to go? As the corpse-zombie stumbled down the last of the stairs, I'd come to my last resort. I ran and threw myself at the exit, yanking Rose with me.

The next thing I knew, we were in the middle of the Hogwarts corridor.

Rose landed on top of me, immediately rolling off. Looking back at the entrance we'd burst through, I was surprised to see that it was a solid-looking wall. When I stood up and touched it, my hand didn't go through.

"That… that was some _freaky_ shit," I mumbled. I held out a hand for her, but instead of grabbing it and pulling herself up like a normal person, she lugged me down to the floor until I had plopped down on my arse. She crawled into my lap.

"Don't ever make me do that again," she warned threateningly, but her voice was shaking. I rubbed her back. "That was not okay."

"Thanks to our sadistic teachers," I said darkly. Looking down the corridor, I could see Professor Sinistra shutting another group of students in the "House". "I think they enchanted it so that we couldn't see other students. So we'd be totally alone."

"Seriously, Scorpius. Not even a kiddie Haunted House."

"Deal." I think I had to change my boxers. "Nothing will compare to this one, anyway."

She breathed slowly, in and out twice until we got up and headed back to the Common Room. Hand-in-hand, not speaking. I think we'd both screamed and talked enough for the night.

Rose had just gone into the room where the Slytherin Common Room was when I saw my girlfriend stumbling over. I immediately froze, mouthing '_Help me_' to Rose. She gave me an encouraging smile.

'_Go on,_' she mouthed back, hidden from view. I glanced back and forth between Veronica and Rose. Rose had gotten into the Common Room and was out of sight. Veronica had come up to me.

"I need to talk to you," she slurred.

Damn. Then I really did need to change my boxers.

"Sure, Veronica." I shoved my hands back in my pockets. "What's up?"

"Let's… _go_ somewhere," she said in a low voice, wrapping her arms around my neck. I could tell she was trying to sound suggestive, but it just came out constipated. Instant turn off.

Wait. _Go somewhere_.

_Shit, _I thought,_ had she been saying that to people all night? Maybe to that guy who was grinding with her on the dance floor. What if they '_went somewhere' _too? What if she had cheated on me? Or what if she did what I did and went with someone alone and ended up on top of them? Crap, can Veronica smell Rose on me? She might be out of her mind, but if she smells that bloody pumpkin spice, I_ _might be beaten into pulp._

I might've been panicking a little.

But even through my inner alarmed ramblings, I had a point.

_Would Veronica even remember in the morning that I broke up with her?_

She was so wasted that I couldn't even tell. And what was she wearing? She never wore short dresses that shoved cleavage – not even in the summer! Why was she acting this way?

"Veronica?" I asked, taking her arms off my neck and sliding them off me. "Are you okay?"

She giggled madly. "I'm just a liiiiittle drunk, Scorpyy."

"No," I said gently, leading her to an empty classroom. She stumbled onto the ground, scraping her knees on the cold dungeon floor. I sighed and sat beside her in the middle of the classroom entrance. "Come on, Veronica. Tell me why you got so drunk tonight."

She leaned against my shoulder, her blonde hair sprawling everywhere. "Why didn't you show up to the dance? I missed you."

"I couldn't," I confessed, not knowing whether she would remember any of this in the morning, even if I wanted her to. "I saw you in there with some guy, and I didn't feel right about us anymore."

Veronica pouted. "You should've told me."

"I don't think that would've made a difference tonight." I pushed some of her hair away; it was getting in her mouth. "What's going on? You never act like this."

She was suddenly laughing, throwing back her head and _roaring._ Wow. Moody. "Oh, Scorpy," she said fondly, bringing a hand to my jaw and pecking me lightly on the lips. I grimaced; it didn't feel right anymore. She brought her arms around my middle. "So smart. All the time. You know me too well."

I waited. I didn't want her arms around me anymore, but I still cared for her and wanted to know what was going on that was making her feel so awful. Awful enough to get wasted and wear a tiny dress and be someone else.

She sighed, her smiled drooping. "My parents are getting a divorce."

"A divorce?" I repeated numbly. Something had punched me in the gut. "Really?"

"Yep." She popped the 'p'. "A divorce. My dad cheated on my mum."

"Oh, Veronica…" I pulled her against my chest in a hug. A _friendly_ hug. "I'm so sorry. You should've told me, and I would've tried to cheer you up."

Her tears had arrived and were soaking my shirt. "You said you don't feel right about me anymore. Is there someone else?"

I squeezed my eyes shut. "Yes."

"Did you cheat on me?"

"No."

And being able to answer that truthfully might've been the highlight of my night. No matter how tempting it was, I was glad I had done the right thing. Especially since I really liked Rose, just being with her, and starting a relationship from lies was just setting myself up for failure. Rose wasn't just a rebound. Veronica and I had never felt real feelings for each other – and she deserved so much more than that.

I returned to the Common Room a little while later, feeling incredibly guilty. It wasn't the best time to break up with a girl, when she'd just received news about her parents' separation. As I spotted the couches, I was relieved to see that Rose was still waiting for me.

"Well?" she asked as I plopped down on the couch beside her. "How'd it go?"

I sighed. "Wet."

"What?"

I put my face in my hands. "She was crying. Her parents divorced. That's why she was acting all funny."

"Oh."

"I don't know if it was right," I said, still not looking at Rose. "She was miserable and drunk and crying and then I had to go and break off our relationship, too. I wanted to," I added quickly, looking back at Rose, "but I just… don't know if I did the right thing."

She slid her hand in mine and brought it to her lips. "I think you did, Scorpius."

"How can you be sure?" My gut was being a painful reminder of my guilt.

"Would you prefer lying to her?" she asked, her brown eyes soft. "Would you prefer having not broken up with her now, but then breaking up with her when it's Christmas? Or Valentine's Day?" She stroked my hand with her thumb. "There's always something, Scorpius. It's never a good time. You did the right thing by being honest."

I thought for a while, then smirked. "You just wanted me to break up with her sooner."

"Maybe," she said, grinning. "But I promise every word I said was from the sincere, unbiased third party."

I closed my eyes and laughed. "That exists in you?" She didn't say anything, but shuffled closer to me and draped herself in my lap.

"I could probably help that guilt go away," she whispered, lifting my chin up with her finger like I had done in that Haunted House. I didn't have a moment to breathe before her soft lips were on mine, letting my mind fade into a blissfully blank oblivion that was Rose.

And that scared me the most.


End file.
